The Northern Ireland Haemodialysis Vascular Access Database
Hemodialysis Access FailureArteriovenous FistulaThis is database designed to explore clinical outcomes related to vascular assess in the population of Northern Ireland with CKD Stage 5 and End-stage Renal Failure.
Advanced Ultrasound Applications for Predicting AVF Outcomes
End Stage Renal DiseasesRenal Failure1 moreHaemodialysis is a renal replacement therapy that can be introduced to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to help them maintain a good healthy life. The patient's blood is pumped through a dialysis machine to remove excess fluid, salt and waste, then it is pumped back into the patient's circulation system. In order to carry out haemodialysis, vascular access (VA) is required to connect the patient to the dialysis machine. Patients have only three options of vascular access: arteriovenous fistula (AVF), an anastomosis between a native vein and an artery; arteriovenous graft (AVG), a connection between a synthetic tube and native blood vessels; and (3) central line, a cuffed catheter placed in a large neck vein. Arteriovenous fistulas are the preferred method for VA because of their longevity and causing the least number of complications. Although there are a number of factors that may increase the probability of AVF failure rate such as age and gender of the patient, poor native vessel structure, medications and the level of surgical experience, 30-40% of new AVFs fail to mature for unknown reasons. For an AVF to become functionally mature postoperative, remodelling and dilation of the native artery and vein are essential to accommodate significantly increased blood flow. However, pre-existing diseases in patients with ESRD such as arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction may impair AVF and preclude dialysis. It has been asserted that the lack of AVF success is attributable to insufficient arterial dilation because of poor arterial wall elasticity. The study aims to investigate the role of arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in predicting AVF outcome using novel non-invasive ultrasound applications: 2D shear wave elastography and 2D strain speckle tracking will be employed to assess arterial stiffness, while an intraoperative flow-mediated dilation (FMD) technique will be used to evaluate endothelial dysfunction.
FLEX FIRST Registry Research Protocol
Arteriovenous FistulaArteriovenous Graft2 moreProspective, observational study evaluating the clinical use and outcomes of the FLEX Vessel Prep (VP) system in arteriovenous fistulae or grafts presenting with clinical or hemodynamic abnormalities following 12 months post treatment.
FLEX®-DCB Dialysis ACCESS Stenosis Study
Arteriovenous FistulaThis prospective, single arm, single-center study is designed to evaluate the performance of the FLEX Scoring Catheter®/POBA/DCB in A-V access circuits.
Trial of Fistula Versus Graft in Elderly Patients
End Stage Renal DiseaseArteriovenous Fistula1 moreThis open-label pilot randomized controlled trial will test the feasibility and safety of randomizing patients over 65 years old who start hemodialysis with a tunneled dialysis catheter (TDC), and are eligible to receive either arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG), to an AVF strategy (comparator) or to an AVG strategy (intervention). The primary outcome is feasibility, which we will assess by measuring: (1) the proportion of randomized participants who receive the assigned arteriovenous access; and (2) the annual rate of enrollment in the study, accounting for the number of surgeons who participate. Secondary outcomes will include perioperative morbidity and mortality, catheter removal rates, additional procedures performed, and the reasons a patient may not receive the assigned AV access.
The WavelinQ™ Arterio-Venous Endovascular Fistula: A Global, Post-Market Investigation
End Stage Kidney DiseaseChronic Kidney Diseases6 moreThis is a global, multi-center, prospective, post-market, confirmatory, interventional, non-randomized, single-arm clinical investigation evaluating arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation by means of the WavelinQ™ EndoAVF System in patients who require a vascular access for hemodialysis (HD).
Intervention With Selution SLR™ Agent Balloon for Endovascular Latent Limus Therapy for Failing...
Arteriovenous FistulaDialysis Access MalfunctionThe most common problem with haemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) and arterio-venous grafts (AVG) is stenosis, which can lead to inadequate dialysis, and eventual access thrombosis. Conventional plain old balloon angioplasty (CBA) is associated with high recurrence rates of stenosis and repeated interventions. The advent of successful drug-eluting technology in the treatment of the coronary vascular bed and subsequent positive accumulating evidence in the peripheral arterial circulation has prompted the use of drug coated balloons (DCB) in the access fistula circuit for venous stenosis and in-stent restenosis. Recent studies suggest that DCBs may significantly reduce re-intervention rates on native and recurrent lesions. The restenosis process is in part or in whole the result of neo-intimal hyperplasia (NIH) and NIH is considered the main culprit in access circuit target lesion stenosis. NIH is the blood vessel's healing response to the barotrauma from the angioplasty process. A critical component of NIH is the cellular proliferative stage with mononuclear leucocytes identified as the primary inflammatory cell type involved. The rationale for drug elution is to block the NIH response with an anti-metabolite such as paclitaxel. It is important to emphasize that the role of drug elution in the treatment of vascular stenosis is not to obtain a good haemodynamic and luminal result but to preserve a good result obtained during POBA from later restenosis due to NIH and minimise reinterventions and readmissions to hospital for what is a frail population of patients. A meta-analysis performed by Khawaja et al. seemed to suggest that DCBs conferred some benefit in terms of improving target lesion primary patency (TLPP) in AVFs. An updated meta-analysis performed by our own institution recently reinforced that DCB appears to be a better and safe alternative to CBA in treating patients with stenosis within all haemodialysis circuits (fistulas and grafts) based on 6- and 12-months primary patency and increased intervention free period 5. However, this was not reflected in the largest RCT to date of DCB vs CBA in AVF with no superior target lesion patency demonstrated at six months and one and two years follow-up. Another recent meta-analysis found paclitaxel-coated balloons (PCB) showed no statistically significant improvement over conventional balloons in decreasing fistula stenosis in randomized controlled trials but were significant for cohort studies. Hence this shows the heterogeneity of the available data in the literature and the result is dependent on what studies you include in the review. Another reason why the outcome data is variable is that the high-speed blood flow in dialysis access circuits washes a large amount of the paclitaxel away from the target lesion soon after application. A measurement in swine showed that only 20%-30% of paclitaxel was taken up into the coronary artery wall in vivo 15-25minutes after PCB application. Furthermore, recent attention has been drawn to a possible increase in late mortality signal and lower amputation free survival in patients receiving DCB treatment with paclitaxel for peripheral arterial disease, although this suggestion has not been demonstrated in the data of DCB within the fistula circuit either at 1 or 2 years. In light of these concerns, attention has turned away recently from paclitaxel-based technologies to sirolimus coated platforms. Sirolimus, like paclitaxel, is a potent antiproliferative agent, which has been found to prevent restenosis in the coronary bed and more recently in the peripheral vasculature but to date has not been studied in AVF circuits The aims of the study is to determine the safety and efficacy of the MedAlliance SELUTION SLR 018™ DEB in the treatment of failing AV fistula due to conduit stenosis in patients undergoing renal dialysis.
Drug Coated Balloons vs Plain Balloons for the Management of Dysfunctional Dialysis Fistula
Dysfunctional Dialysis Arteriovenous FistulaCompare the effectiveness of drug-coated balloons to plain balloon angioplasty in reducing stenosis rates in dialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs).
Trial Comparing One-stage With Two-stage Basilic Vein Transposition
Brachiobasilic Arteriovenous FistulaArteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are made by joining a vein to an artery in order to get the vein dilated with sufficient blood flow in order to puncture the vein and clear the blood from wastes, in patients whose kidneys are destroyed and cannot provide this function. The success rate of this procedure varies between 50-80% and depends mainly on the size of the vein, with success being higher with larger veins. One of the veins used for an AVF is the basilic vein, located at the upper arm. This vein is however deeply located and necessitates movement (transposition) during surgery to a less deep and lateral path before it is joined to the artery, in order to be used. A single study has shown that surgery performed in two parts (one to enlarge the vein and the second one to relocate the enlarged vein under the wound, not in a new path) is more successful than doing the procedure altogether. The aim of this study is to confirm the findings of the single study mentioned above (one versus two stages of basilic vein AVF), with the difference that the vein will be relocated outside the main wound, a method that is widely accepted as being better.
Clipped Versus Handsewn Arteriovenous Fistula Anastomosis
Arteriovenous Fistula Complications and FailureThe purpose of this study is to determine whether handsewn anastomosis versus clipped technique is associated with more complications, fistula failures, surgical cost and surgical time.